NOC President Alexander Zukov in Lausanne, IOC President Thomas Bach

Having met Russia’s NOC President Alexander Zukov in Lausanne, IOC President Thomas Bach expressed confidence that the initiatives being proposed by the ROC, with the responsible international organisations, WADA and the IAAF, will ensure compliance as soon as possible in order to provide participation of the clean Russian athletes at the Olympic Games”. Praising the “openness of the discussion”, Bach said: “I welcome the fact that the ROC expressed its firm commitment to protect the clean athletes, and to sanction all the doped athletes and officials, with Alexander Zukow adding: “The Russian Olympic Committee is determined that the clean athletes should compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Anyone found guilty of using illegal drugs or anyone who facilitated or was complicit in their use must be punished.”

Following the Thursday meeting, the IOC – on Saturday – circulated a communiqué that reads:

“President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Alexander Zhukov has met International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss the findings of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission Report. Following the meeting, the ROC with the full backing of IOC will undertake the following actions:

“1. Mr Zhukov, as ROC President, informed the IOC President that in order to ensure the participation of the clean Russian athletes at the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016, the ROC will coordinate all efforts in Russia to address the issues mentioned in the Independent Commission Report with a view to make RUSADA, the anti-doping laboratory in Moscow and the National Athletics Federation (ARAF) compliant with the WADA code and all other international anti-doping regulations as soon as possible; 2. To achieve this, the Russian Olympic Committee will ensure the coordination of the already ongoing thorough investigation by the national authorities in Russia with respective international organisations, including WADA and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF); 3. The ROC will initiate the renewal and reform of the National Athletics Federation (ARAF). To achieve this: All officials, coaches, etc., implicated in doping will be held responsible and sanctioned; · All doped athletes will be sanctioned in accordance with international antidoping regulations; All clean athletes will be protected. 4. Mr Zhukov, on behalf of the ROC, renewed his strong support of the decision taken at the Olympic Summit on 17 October to make the anti-doping system independent from sports organisations and to request that WADA take over this function as soon as possible.”

This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.

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